Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson confirmed that linebacker Brant Mitchell and offensive tackle Jake Stickler, two players dealing with injuries, were at Monday’s practice. That was about all Johnson offered following the team’s first practice in preparation for No. 7 Clemson on Saturday.
After saying that linebacker Brant Mitchell and offensive tackle Jake Stickler “were out there (at practice) Monday,” Johnson was asked what color practice jerseys they wore. (Players who are injured wear red; players who are practicing but under non-contact rules wear gold.)
“I don’t know what color they were in,” Johnson responded.
Mitchell sat out of the Yellow Jackets’ win over Wake Forest on Saturday with a lower-body injury suffered against Miami the previous week. Stickler left the Wake Forest game with an upper-body injury.
Mitchell, a junior, is in his second season as a full-time starter and had not missed a game in his career before Saturday. He was the team’s leading tackler going into the Miami game. Also a junior, Stickler has started all five of Tech’s games this season.
Johnson did say that Tech came out of the Wake Forest game with not as much injury damage as the Miami game, which Mitchell, B-back KirVonte Benson and kicker Shawn Davis all left with injuries. Benson, who said he suffered a deep bruise on his hamstring, played Saturday. Davis tore his ACL and is out for the season.
“You’re always going to get banged up and beat up when you play, but I think we’re in pretty good shape,” he said.
